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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
R. Vilim, R. Klann, J. Thomas
Nuclear Technology | Volume 175 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 314-325
Technical Paper | Special Issue on the 16th Biennial Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division / Radiation Measurements and General Instrumentation | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A12303
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Illicit radioactive sources can potentially appear in a wide range of public venues. One element in a plan for managing such sources involves searching for them in venues at risk and tracking them in real time when they are detected. A treatment of source tracking using multiple directional detectors in a probabilistic framework is given. The performance of a prototype directional detector based on these methods was characterized in the laboratory. Instances where the performance of a directional detector is not immune to the effects of shielding are identified.